Container



Patented Jan. 15,194

UNITED STATES PATENT" OFFICE CONTAINER Paul M. Gilflllan, M unt Vernon,

to Shellmar Produ a Company,

Ohio, assignm- Mount Vernon,

3 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in the manufacture of containers. More particularly, it pertains to improvements in the manufacture of pouch type containers made from diecut and folded blanks wherein sections are provided for folding purposes which will permit of wide tolerances in the location of the fold lines so as to provide comer lock seals which provide seam structures having protective characteristics against moisture-vapor transmission at least on a par with remaining areas of the container.

Pouch type containers have been made from single blanks of material in which one .wall is provided with marginal sealing 'fiap extensions. This particular wall is usually consideredthe rear wall of the container and these sealing flap extensions remain as the uncut portions of a blank having sharp angular corners defining the front from the rear wall as well as the rear wall from the cover section or flap. Such sharp right angular constructions render it impractical to attempt a fold of the front wall in position against the rear wall in expectation of receiving an hermetic seal in this particular area even after the extension flaps are folded and heat-sealed over the marginal portions of the front wall. It will become apparent that the reason for failure to obtain such an hermetic seam structure is because of the difliculty, particularly while running such blanks through folding machines in high speed production, of obtaining a fold or crease along a line which would habitually extend from the apex of one angle formed by the sealingfiap on one side of the container to the apex 6f the angle formed by the sealing flap on the other side of the container. Any'variation from this line of fold results in openings at the bottom corners of the resulting pouch making it substantially impossible to provide a seam. having moisture-vapor proof characteristics. Fold lines in such conventional pouches always and of necessity must fall along a given line to obtain such characteristics and while it might be possible by a hand operation successfully to attain a properfold, it will be recognized that present day production requirements make such a procedure impractical as well as impracticable. It shouldalso be understood that regardless of the protective characteristic against moisture-vapor transmission which any type of container possess in its wall structure, such container in any case is only as good as its seam construction.

Therefore, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a container which will overcome the foregoing disadvantages and other difflcultiesand which iwilrbe economicof mantras- 'ture, sturdy and durable of construction and whichyill maintain hermetic sealing characteristicsv ithin the seam structures which are as eflicient as similar characteristics throughout the remainder of such a container.

A principal object of the invention is the provision of a pouch type container formed from a blank of die-cut material having front and rear walls with marginal sealing flap extensions on the latter, the sealing flaps terminating in arcuate portions adjacent the front walls providing folding sections in areas defined by these arcuate portions so that various fold lines can be selected allowing tolerances which will not interfere with the ultimate hermetic sealing characteristics of the ultimate container in these regions.

More specific objects of the invention are the provision of such a foldable pouch type of container wherein the marginal sealing flaps extend beyond the front wall and mouth opening substantially to the edge of the cover flap, to the end that the latter is prevented from curling and wrinkling, substantially eliminating the possibility of edge tearing particularly in' the region of the mouth opening and otherwise to provide added strength characteristics to such a pouch.

Another obiect of the invention is to make such a. pouch from a laminated material in which the laminating medium consists of an adhesive wax having gas-impervious characteristics and which is of a. consistency which will impart to the material, and particularly the resultant container, ahcharacteristic better known in the industry as I and.

Other objects of the'invention will in part be obvious and will in part appear hereinafter.

The invention accordingly comprises an article of manufacture possessing the features, properties, and the relation of elements which will be exemplified in the article hereinafter described and the scope of the application of which'will be indicated in the claims.

For a fuller understanding of the nature and objects of the invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in

) which:

formation;

Fig, 1 is a. plan view illustrating a preferred form of blank, die-cut maccordance with the principles of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a plan view illustrating the blank of g. 1 with the front wall folded over through one of the fold allowance areas in developing a pouch crystalline wax adhesive.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 depicting sealing flaps marginally folded over and sealed to the front wall and cover along lines within their fold allowance areas; and

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing a completed pouch with the cover thereof about to be brought in closed position after the pouch has been filled and a seal across the mouth opening effected.

Referring more particularly to the drawing there is indicated generally at III a blank of 'material preferably laminated and in a manner more particularly as set forth in my co-pending application Serial No. Briefly, that application illustrates a preferred method of forming a laminated web of material suitable for use in connection with the present invention in which a non-fibrous material, preferably "glassine,

is laminated to a thermoplastic web, such as Pliofilm," by means of a micro- It is also set forth in that application that two webs of glassine may first be laminated together by such an adhesive and the thermoplastic material subsequently applied thereto in a, three layer system. In the present invention the latter modification is preferred and while a thermoplastic material, such as pliofilm," is ideally suitable it is at presentcontemplated to use a regenerated cellulose which has been treated with a heat-sealing lacquer to provide moistureproof as well as heatsealing characteristics.

With respect to the micro-crystalline wax adhesive which is used it is contemplated that preferably the composition of such an adhesive should consist of a wax which constitutes 55 to 65 per cent of the composition. In addition to this, rosin of about 20 to 30 per cent can be added which lends a desirable tackiness to the final adhesive as well as hardening qualities. There also may be incorporated petrolatum 5 per cent and butyl stearates 5 per cent and-each of these will act as plasticizers for the adhesives.

After the formation of such a laminated web, and after the same has been suitably printed or otherwise decorated, it is run through a cutting,

438,616 filed April 11, 1942.

folding and heat-sealing machine. In the cutting operation the web is'marginally die-cut as indicated generally at II to form a front wall l2 for a container. The remainder of the blank constitutes the rear wall [3, and the cover M. The uncut portions form marginal sealing flaps l5 which terminate in arcuate portions at their ends as indicated generally at l6 where these portions lie adjacent the edges of the front wall. The present invention is based on the discovery that arcuate portions in these regions provide folding sections which will permit of a substantiall infinite number of folds in areas where it is necessary to fold or fold and seal such a blank into pouch formation. The first of these sections, indicated generally at H, constitutes the area extending across the blank between the arcuate portions l5, l6 while the other sections, indicated generally at It and I9 respectively, extend along the marginal fiaps perpendicular ot the first section II and are also defined substantially by the arcuate portions IS, [6.

With an arcuate cut-out portion the front wall section of the blank 12 may rapidly be folded upon the rear wall of the blank along any line which will fall approximately within the section I! and the marginal flaps I5, l5 folded over upon the front wall along any line which will fall approximately within the areas It! and I9 respectively. Thereafter the flaps are sealed, preferably by means of the application of heat and pressure, to the front wall to complete the pouch formation. The unsealed portion will leave a mouth opening for filling purposes.

It is immaterial, except perhaps for appearance sake, along which lines of fold in any of the aforesaid areas that these folds occur. If the fold is equalized, the same will appear as shown in the drawing. However, if the lines of fold are not immediately in the center of each section they will not critically affect the ultimate seal as would be the case with respect to the conventional angular cut portion where it was absolutel essential to have the fold lines bisect the angles formed by the cut-out portions defining the sealing flap extensions and walls. It will be appreciated that with such leeway, a folding machine can be speeded up considerably without regard to micrometric placement of foldlines and without danger of interfering with the hermeti'c sealing characteristics of the ultimate container. It will be understood that there is always a great deal of shifting and slipping of such a web running at high speed but with the tolerances allowed as herein disclosed, ordinary slipping and shifting becomes substantially immaterial inasmuch as the folds always fall within the regions indicated.

It will also be observed that in sealing the marginal flaps in position a crimp seal 20 is preferred since it lends added strength to the ultimate container. It will also be seen that this crimp seal extends throughout the entire sealing flap which runs substantially past the mouth opening of the container and preferably falls short of the end of the cover flap. In permitting these marginal sealing flaps to fold over along the marginal edge of the cover, added strength characteristics have been acquired and this aids in preventing tearing as well as curling in this region. Added strength is also given in the region of the mouth of the container where, when the same has been opened, and it is desired to remove the contents thereof such as, for example, tobacco by inserting a pipe or the hand within the same, there is far less danger of the mouth seam tearing away or separating. Preferably the sealing flaps do not extend to the very edge of the cover but short thereof, thereby materially reducing the danger of catching or loosening the resulting in a package which is as good as the materials of which it is constructed.

It will thus be seen that the objects hereinbefor'e set forth may readily and eficiently be attained and since certain changes may be made in the above article and different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted'as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described,

. 2,892,848 3 and all statements of the scope of the invention top, across the marginal top sections of said front which, as a matter of language, might be said to wall, and along said cover to reinforce the marfall therebetween. ginal top sections of said front wall against tear- Having described my invention, what I claim as ing and said cover against wrinklin and curling, new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is: 5 said iiaps being heat-sealed marginally to said 1. An hermetically sealed tobacco pouch comcover and each projection being heat-sealed in prising'a blank of pouch forming material having face-to-face contact with itself and said cona heat-sealable surface and being folded upon nected sealing flaps, said front wall, after said itself through a predetermined section of fold pouch is filled, being sealed across the mouth allowance extending across said blank to provide opening to the rear wall between the sealing flaps rectangularly shaped front and rear walls for said nd m ng 9011510115 1 h fr t wall underpouch leaving a mouth opening and a closure l g Bald s lin flaps bein h t-sealed t0 the member extending from said rear wall and foldrear. w d d in po n y aid ea able across said opening, said rear wall having p o P ide n h m i lly sealed pouch. sealing flaps along each side thereof with projecl h m ly sealed tobacco pouch com= tions adjacent said area of fold, the width of said prising a laminated blank constituted by a Sheet folding ti b n substantially equal t t of heat-scalable material and a protective sheet length of said projections, said flaps being heatof n w secured thereto by e s of a i te sealed to said front wall and each projection mediate layer of an adhesive micro-crystalline being heat-sealed where itisin face-to-face con- Wax to Provide a vapo proof ba rier. tact with itself and said sealing flap, said front 594d a layer being 0f sumcient thickness to well, after said pouch is filled, being heat-sealed impart t0 saidz blank a structural characteristic across t mouth opening t t rear wall known as hand" in the art, said'blank being tween the sealing flaps and the remaining marfolded upon itself thmugh a predetermined ginal portions of the m; Wall underlying said tion of fold allowance extending across said blank 1 sealing flaps being heat-sealed to the rear wall to Pmvide front and a walls said pouch vide. an hermetically sealed pouch extending from said rear wall and foldable across 2. An hermetically sealed tobacco pouch comsaid opening; said rear wall having sealing flaps prising blank of pouch fom jng material having along each side thereof with projections adjacent mouth opening and a closure member extending when? is in face'to'face intact with itself and sealing flaps along each side thereof with prothe real wall between the 89311118 flaps and said folding section being of a length substann ng aid s aling flaps bein heat-s al d to flaps eachbeing heat-sealed marginally along adflaps to Provide an meti ally sealed po h- I PAUL M. G LFIILAN. 

